Miller Beer Eyes Its Marketing Practices Over Racy Ad
One of America's largest beer brewers, Miller Brewing Co., is reviewing its marketing practices after Christian groups complained about the firm's sponsorship of a raunchy San Francisco festival, the Folsom Street Fair.
"We regret that our failure to adhere with our own policy led to an inappropriate use of our trademark and apologize to anyone who was offended as a result, particularly members of the Christian community who have contacted us to express their concern," a company spokesman, Julian Green, said in a written statement yesterday. "We are conducting an immediate audit of our procedures for approving local marketing and sales sponsorships to ensure that this does not happen again."
The Folsom Street Fair, which took place as scheduled on Sunday, draws practitioners of various sexual fetishes and is host to public displays of flogging and other forms of sadomasochism. However, what drove some Christian groups into a fury was the fair's poster this year, a photographic reinterpretation of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" with men and women in bondage attire.
While apologizing for any offense, Miller seemed to argue yesterday that it should be free to market to audiences whose practices are found offensive by many Americans. "It is important to understand that the Folsom Street Fair does not target the general public in its communications," Miller's Mr. Green said. "The fair itself and the organization's Web site are only intended for the adult alternative lifestyle community."
Some conservative groups have called for a boycott of Miller. The president of the Catholic League, William Donohue, said yesterday that he was "pleased" with the company's announcement but would await the outcome of the firm's review before deciding on whether to call off the boycott.
